tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18929574024436567732017-07-29T00:46:12.481-07:00Food LoveWelcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-57059538179339813992014-12-08T16:11:00.000-08:002014-12-08T16:18:30.854-08:00I'm back! <span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s now been almost 2 years since I wrote my last post and put that part of life on hold for a little while. I loved putting this little blog together – and when I look back on some of the things I wrote I feel quite proud, both for making the time to do something I love and for the effort, research, and writing time I put into it. Now I feel a small sense of regret for putting it on hold, since in the past 2 years the internet has really exploded with blogs on the topic of nutrition and health. There were quite a few out there when I started but now there really are a LOT. So what to do? Pat myself on the back and say oh well, I gave it a good try? That wasn’t really the point. Recently have I started to think about getting back into writing about nutrition, and it has quickly&nbsp;become clear that it’s what I want to do again.&nbsp;The knowledge gained from the act researching for, and writing each article was always worth it, as was the satisfaction of just doing something that I enjoy.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now nearly 2 years later, I’m not longer fresh from a big move overseas, trying to get my qualifications transferred and finding my feet as a new graduate nurse in a different country than where I trained. I’m not longer wondering when my husband’s immigration papers will go through so that we aren’t living on the other side of the world from each other. I have now been studying natural nutrition for a year and a half and live in an apartment that is quiet, warm, cozy and just the right size for us. Although it’s not the city we pictured living in, we are lucky to live in a beautiful old neighbourhood, with interesting old homes and the river valley at our doorstep. Our neighbourhood and apartment are perfect for spending my days off from working at the hospital doing what I love: cooking, going to yoga/bootcamp/trail running, studying and now - writing. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My blog may not be fancy and my knowledge of websites is still basic,&nbsp; but hopefully I can teach myself a thing or two in that area.&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;Ev</span>en so, this is my own space for sharing what I love do to with those who are interested, and I think there are a lot of people out there who want to know more and who want to make some changes to the way they eat. What I write about it how I see it, what I have learned from many reputable sources, and how I try to live life every day. So if this sounds like your cup of tea, stay tuned for some topics that I hope you will find interesting and helpful in the world of natural nutrition.</span><br /> Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-18444520562763509962013-02-27T10:23:00.001-08:002014-12-08T16:29:29.078-08:00Healthy On-The-Go Lunch IdeasIf you're like me, lunches are always the hardest meal to plan for the week. Normally I like to try and make enough leftovers from dinner to use for lunches, but this doesn't always work out! If you take out the option of the standard sandwich-and-processed luncheon meat, then things can get a bit tricky. Thankfully I've managed to learn a couple of healthy lunches to make that are not very time-consuming and are also easy to take with you and put together at lunch time. If you're really hungry at lunch like me, you can also add more options - I like to have herbal tea, a piece of fruit, nuts and maybe a homemade cookie or Lara bar. Leftover soup in a thermos also works well with both of these.<br /><br /><b><u>Healthy Lunch #1&nbsp;</u></b><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pz-KDKuZuVE/US5Lj6zlPXI/AAAAAAAAAno/X2ya9h8C2DU/s1600/P2210862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pz-KDKuZuVE/US5Lj6zlPXI/AAAAAAAAAno/X2ya9h8C2DU/s320/P2210862.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><b>Chicken &amp; Veggie Salad</b><br /><br /><b>Ingredients:</b><br />-Leftover cooked chicken (especially easy if you've cooked a whole chicken for another meal and saved some for lunches.)<br />-1/2 an Avocado<br />-1-2 Green onions, chopped<br />-1 Tomato<br />-1/2 Small cucumber, sliced<br />-Mixed salad greens<br />-Dressing: Olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a squeeze of lemon juice<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbAcpmM3hMc/US5LiY7aGOI/AAAAAAAAAng/GrPAK_Fi3GA/s1600/P2200851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbAcpmM3hMc/US5LiY7aGOI/AAAAAAAAAng/GrPAK_Fi3GA/s320/P2200851.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><b><u>Healthy Lunch #2</u></b><br /><b>Spelt Toast with Avocado, Cheese, Cucumber,&nbsp;</b><b>Tomato and Pepper</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Ingredients:</b><br />-1/2 Avocado<br />-4 Slices of cheese of your choice<br />-1/2 small cucumer<br />-1 Tomato<br />-2 Pieces Spelt Bread or other gluten-free bread<br />-Ground Pepper<br /><br /><br />What do you make for a healthy lunch to take with you to work or school? Maybe you can offer some inspiration to myself and others :)Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-21212222066473023862013-02-08T08:48:00.000-08:002013-07-08T10:37:09.189-07:00Leek & Chicken Soup (GF, DF)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imPDoF-P1g4/URUkkRmuD_I/AAAAAAAAAks/RT-UPHoR5IQ/s1600/P2070691cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imPDoF-P1g4/URUkkRmuD_I/AAAAAAAAAks/RT-UPHoR5IQ/s320/P2070691cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imPDoF-P1g4/URUkkRmuD_I/AAAAAAAAAks/RT-UPHoR5IQ/s1600/P2070691cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello! It's been a little while since I've posted anything, and that's mainly due to the fact that I've just moved to Canada from New Zealand. It's been a crazy couple of months of going on the most amazing trip to Torrent Bay in the Abel Tasman for Christmas, having a very fun engagement party with a lot of wonderful people, finishing up work, saying goodbye to a lot of friends and family, and definitely lots of packing. Now I'm back in Edmonton, and it's still a big adjustment - especially the season change of going from the middle of a beautiful, hot NZ&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">summer to a snowy (and dark-forgot about that part) Alberta winter. So needless to say, it's been a pretty big change overall. I'm trying my very best to think of the good things about winter, however small - and one of these things is that it feels so great to make a big pot of delicious, warm and hearty soup. I love making recipes that involve throwing a whole bunch of healthy ingredients together! Here is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes, made with chicken drumsticks from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.sunworksfarm.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sunworks Farm</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;which produces certified organic chicken, beef, eggs, turkey, bison, lamb and pork right here in Alberta. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!</span><br /><br /><b><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leek &amp; Chicken Soup</span></u></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Prep and Cooking Time</b>: Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Serves:</b> 4</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzNmD-lsIHo/URUkoqJ7ZWI/AAAAAAAAAk8/hGsGnxGrI3w/s1600/P2070669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzNmD-lsIHo/URUkoqJ7ZWI/AAAAAAAAAk8/hGsGnxGrI3w/s320/P2070669.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Making the broth</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 organic chicken drumsticks</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 carrots, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 celery sticks, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 bunch parsley</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Approx. 30 grams of organic butter</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 medium-sized leeks, pale parts only</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large potatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup (55g) rice pasta</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instructions:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. </b>For the broth <b>- </b>&nbsp;place the chicken, 1 carrot, 1 celery and half of the parsley in 12 cups of water in a large pan on high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and summer for 1 hour so the chicken meat falls off the bones.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. </b>Strain the broth into a large heatproof bowl and set this aside for now. Discard the vegetables you've used for the broth, and when the chicken is cool enough, remove and discard the skin and bones. (You can soak the chicken in cold water to help it cool down more quickly). Tear the meat into small pieces and set aside.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. </b>Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, and cook the leeks for 4-5 minutes until they are soft. Stir in the remaining carrot and celery, and add the potato then cook for 5 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07OJCjU3ee8/URUkmnYVG6I/AAAAAAAAAk0/Kk2-29N8Rf8/s1600/P2070686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07OJCjU3ee8/URUkmnYVG6I/AAAAAAAAAk0/Kk2-29N8Rf8/s320/P2070686.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepping my ingredients while the broth simmers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b> Add the pasta and reserved broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> Add the chicken meat and summer for another 5 minutes, until the pasta is cooked (*hint - for cooking rice pasta, make sure you don't over-cook it by turning the heat off when the pasta is still a little firm and you should end up with perfect pasta.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6.</b> Serve with the remaining parsley, chopped and sprinkled on top.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-68426507775245250462012-06-18T22:59:00.004-07:002013-07-08T10:39:46.894-07:00Quick & Healthy Minestrone Pasta (GF, Vt)<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a recipe for a quick, inexpensive meal that is perfect for when you don't have a lot of time to cook, or when you feel too tired to prepare a more time-consuming meal.&nbsp;This&nbsp;would also be great for kids!&nbsp;The recipe I have posted is probably the quickest and cheapest version, and you could add to it to make&nbsp;it a bit more interesting - for example, using fresh vegetables instead of frozen, adding free range chicken or sausages or having it with a slice of bread or salad on the side. I've also added a Printer Friendly option at the bottom of each post so you can print out a copy of the recipes on this site.&nbsp;</span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dealpFZCSRI/T-AD4XnoyaI/AAAAAAAAAg8/lQ4TyCXIv_w/s1600/DSC04700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dealpFZCSRI/T-AD4XnoyaI/AAAAAAAAAg8/lQ4TyCXIv_w/s400/DSC04700.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quick &amp; Healthy Minestrone Pasta</span></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2tbsp olive oil</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small onion, finely chopped</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. tomato puree or paste</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">300 grams frozen mixed vegetables</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">700 ml vegetable stock</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">175 grams pasta <i>(I used Orgran corn/vegetable pasta spirals)</i></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">220 gram can of baked beans <i>(make sure there is not a lot of sugar added)</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">grated cheddar to serve (optional)</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instructions:</span></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1.</b> Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b> Stir in the tomato puree and add the frozen vegetable and stock.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.</b> Bring to a boil, then add the pasta and stir the mixture. Cover and simmer until the pasta is cooked.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b> Stir in the beans until they are heated, and serve hot with grated cheese on top (if using).</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And enjoy!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recipe adapted from: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1465</span></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-51034592587023411042012-06-09T03:45:00.001-07:002014-12-08T16:19:52.801-08:0010 Ways to Boost Your Immune System<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YmWn4HeClxY/T-j2H9ZQUZI/AAAAAAAAAh8/CmTX4xNauzU/s1600/Allergies-and-Infections-%E2%80%93-Natural-Remedies-for-Sinus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YmWn4HeClxY/T-j2H9ZQUZI/AAAAAAAAAh8/CmTX4xNauzU/s1600/Allergies-and-Infections-%E2%80%93-Natural-Remedies-for-Sinus.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A strong immune system is crucial in terms of overall health and&nbsp;well being&nbsp; so if you find you’re frequently run-down or getting sick, then this article may be helpful. Your immune system is like your personal medical team ready to fight the battles that will keep you healthy and strong. It’s something that's worth looking after so that you can function at your best, and these days there are so many things that can stress our immune systems and keep us from staying well. I have divided it into ways you can boost your immune system to hopefully prevent getting sick, and things you can do when you are getting sick or already unwell.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System:&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">1.&nbsp;</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>Eat plenty of&nbsp;colorful, varied fresh fruit and vegetables</b>, especially red, orange and purple&nbsp;colored&nbsp;produce like berries, sweet potatoes and red peppers.</span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">Include plenty of vitamin C-rich foods such as broccoli, peppers, peas, cabbage, lemons, oranges and strawberries.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">2.</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">Talk to a health professional about taking immune system boosting supplements</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">. These could include: Vitamin A, a B complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Calcium &amp; Magnesium, Iron, Selenium and/or Zinc.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">3. Get enough sunlight, ideally every day</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">. Skin cells produce powerful immune boosting substances and natural daylight stimulates them, which is why it’s important to spend time outdoors every day (approximately 15-20 minutes without sunscreen so your body can absorb enough Vitamin D and possibly a supplement in the winter months). Even better is combining it with some type of exercise outdoors like running, cycling or walking since getting your heart rate up for just 20 minutes, 3 times/week is associated with increased immune function.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">4.</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">Try to get good night’s sleep (usually 7-9 hours for an adult)</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">.This may be harder depending on your living situation but fatigue increases your susceptibility to illness studies show that your immune function drops by an average of 60% after 3 nights of poor sleep. Like stress, this can cause a&nbsp; rise in inflammation in the body, which is likely because lack of sleep also leads to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">5.&nbsp;Do dry skin brushing once per day to activate your immune system</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">. Dry skin brushing has been shown to help strengthen the immune system and can reduce the length of infections and illness by moving the toxins more quickly through the lymphatic system. For instructions on how to perform dry skin brushing see this link:&nbsp; </span><a href="http://articles.herballegacy.com/the-dry-brushing-technique/" style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">http://articles.herballegacy.com/the-dry-brushing-technique/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System When You Feel Like You’re Sick:</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>1. Increase your intake of Vitamin C</b>. This is one that most people know about, and the ideal daily intake of vitamin C is between 1,000 and 3000mg. For anyone fighting an infection you may need a much larger amount such as up to 20,000mg/day short-term. If you have a cold, take 3 grams (3000mg) every 4 hours until symptoms start to improve. Always take a large doses divided into smaller doses, take lots of fluids at the same time and gradually decrease your intake as you get better. </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Speak to a health professional in regards to any questions about appropriate dosing of Vitamin C. When you’re sick or coping with additional stress you can take Zinc supplements, and you can often find Vitamin C and Zinc combinations.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>2. Take Echinacea droplets or drink Echinacea tea</b>.</span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">This is one of the most well-known herbs used for boosting the immune system. It can be taken regularly or when you feel like you’re becoming unwell.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">3.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 7pt;">&nbsp;</span></b><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">Eat lightly and rely mainly on fruits, vegetables and foods rich in Vitamins A and C</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"> such as carrots, citrus fruit and green peppers. Some studies show that it can be beneficial to avoid mucus-forming and fatty foods when you’re unwell like meat, eggs and dairy products as they can congest your lymphatic system. (Lymphatic fluid is the main transport for immune cells).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">4.&nbsp;Avoid all alcohol, tobacco, black tea and coffee and increase your consumption of water and herbal teas</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">. Some examples of immune system boosting herbs include Cat’s Claw Tea, Echinacea and elderberry extract.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;">5.&nbsp;Rest and take it easy!</b><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"> Easier said than done, right? But there's a reason we're told to rest when we ge sick, and those around you will be thankful if you take the time to stay home and rest rather than spreading the sickness to them. Try to do everything a bit more slowly when you're unwell so your body can put more energy towards your immune system and fighting off the infection.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some information from the following sources were used in this article:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patrick Holford (n.d.). <i>Boost your immunity</i>. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from www.patrickholford.com</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/9-tips-to-treat-colds-and-flu-the-natural-way"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/9-tips-to-treat-colds-and-flu-the-natural-way</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/10-immune-system-busters-boosters"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/10-immune-system-busters-boosters</span></a></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-44373196310808037922012-04-12T01:29:00.013-07:002014-12-08T16:20:14.697-08:00The Dangers of Refined Sugar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m8qWO_vrgTY/T8iAcxgTudI/AAAAAAAAAfU/QIpp7NaqRi0/s1600/Sugar.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m8qWO_vrgTY/T8iAcxgTudI/AAAAAAAAAfU/QIpp7NaqRi0/s320/Sugar.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"What's so bad about sugar? It's natural, right?"<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">"What's wrong with a little bit of sugar now and then?" "</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Our bodies need sugar for energy". </span>These are all questions and statements I've heard about sugar, and I thought it would be good to talk about them since it is such an important issue when it comes to our health.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />First of all, we are genetically programmed to like sugar. It makes us feel good, adds flavor to food, and if you are truly consuming it in very small amounts and eating a healthy and balanced diet, then it is probably not much of an issue. However, one of the problems with sugar is that we are mainly consuming refined sugar, which has been stripped of its vitamins and minerals, leaving only an "empty" calorie that our bodies cannot process properly. Eating refined sugar is actually worse than nothing because it has to leech vitamins and minerals from your body (that would normally be present in it naturally) in order for it to be metabolized. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other big problem is the amount of sugar we consume. Most people in Western societies consume far too much sugar - in energy drinks, sodas, piled into tea and coffee, sweets and deserts and so on. This is compounded by the fact that sugar is added to almost EVERYTHING these days, including soups, crackers, "healthy" cereals, yogurt, pasta sauces, canned vegetables...again, the list goes on. Obviously sugar does not need to be included in these foods, but food companies know that if they add sugar, it will taste better (if you're used to eating it) and that people will buy more of it. They know it's addictive, and they are taking advantage of your health so they can make a higher profit.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Another question or argument that seems to come up is that we NEED sugar - our bodies need sugar for energy. This is of course true, and all carbohydrates are a form of sugar which is the body's primary energy source (once metabolized and broken down into glucose). However, there is a problem with this as well. Because all of these vitamins and minerals have been stripped with refined sugar, the sugar goes into your blood stream much more quickly than if you ate say, a piece of fruit or another type of unrefined carbohydrate that has fiber in it to naturally slow it down. When you eat a type of sugar that immediately goes into your blood stream, your body has to produce more insulin to compensate, and then you "crash", feeling low on energy, and your body tells you you need more sugar to bring your blood sugar back up again. You get stuck in a cycle of highs and lows, which is not healthy or natural and can have a negative impact on your health, including your immune system. </span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This leads me to the issue of Diabetes, which is probably one of the main health consequences that people think of when it comes to sugar. When the pancreas constantly has to compensate and produce more insulin to control blood glucose levels, down that road this can cause the pancreas to basically start to burn out until it can't produce enough insulin. This&nbsp;is what can eventually lead to Type 2 Diabetes (and this&nbsp;is a simplified explanation of it, as there are other factors that can contribute to Type 2 Diabetes as well), but evidence does show that increasing the consumption of sugar puts you more at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Sugar can also lead to Diabetes by weight gain, as the insulin has more difficulty getting through fat around cells to help glucose enter the cell which is how our body cells get the nutrients from the food we eat. Then, the glucose stays in the bloodstream which leads to a multitude of negative effects. There is also evidence that excessive sugar consumption is linked to certain forms of cancer and many other diseases and degenerative conditions. It has also been linked to autoimmune diseases such as arthritis as asthma. </span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people probably know that sugar is bad for your teeth and can cause tooth decay- so if sugar does that to your teeth, what is it doing to the rest of your body? In the book "Sugar Blues" by William Duffy, he notes that "dental researchers have proven that the teeth are subject to the same metabolic processes that affect other organs of the body". Meaning the acid that destroys tooth enamel is also essentially destroying other parts of the body.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now lets talk about ways to cut down on sugar consumption and better alternatives to refined sugar. When I first tried to cut down it was pretty hard, and I wasn't even eating as much sugar as a lot of people. Once you try and cut down you truly realize how addictive it is, but when you get to the "other side" it feels so much better. I started with not having sugar in my coffee, and diluting fruit juice. Now when I drink a coffee with sugar I think it tastes horrible. Another good tip is to drink a lot of water so you don't get thirsty and crave a sweet drink, and to eat small amounts regularly to keep your blood sugar levels stable. The worst is to let it drop really low and then you will definitely crave sugar and it will be very hard to resist. Another thing you can do that is very important both for overall health, is to read food labels carefully for added sugar. Also watch out for "hidden" terms for sugar, such as corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol and high fructose corn syrup. Another thing you can do it switch to some healthier sugar alternatives, and here are some examples:</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Agave Nectar</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">: It is the raw nectar from the agave plant which tastes a bit like honey but has a lower glycemic index, and you can use it the same way you would use honey or also use it as a sugar substitute in baking. You can find it in most health food stores.</span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stevia:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> A natural herb that is very sweet and doesn't have any calories, and you only need a very small amount.</span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Honey:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Honey is a simple sugar, so this one is still with caution/moderation, but if you buy it in its natural/un-pasteurized form then it will contain a lot of healthy enzymes. Heating can destroy the enzymes, making it almost as bad as refined sugar. </span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Whole Cane Sugar: </b>Unrefined sugar that comes from the sugar cane. It contains the molasses that is normally removed during the refining process (which give refined sugar its white color) so cane sugar has more flavor.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Lastly, here is a link to a site that can be very useful, where you can look up the Glycemic Index of a certain food.</span>The Glycemic Index, or GI is the measure of the effects of carbohydrates in food on blood sugar levels, and estimates how much a certain food will raise a person's blood glucose level after eating it, so ideally you want to aim for foods that have a lower GI.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><h2><a href="http://www.glycemicindex.com/"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.glycemicindex.com/</span></a></h2></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-5671896808986286192012-03-21T00:49:00.012-07:002013-07-08T10:42:51.125-07:00Pasta and Bean Soup (GF, DF, Vt)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBthEQ5KHCU/T2mKRLAgbII/AAAAAAAAAeA/6R_6bBzO1oc/s1600/DSC04422.JPG" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722256829168249986" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBthEQ5KHCU/T2mKRLAgbII/AAAAAAAAAeA/6R_6bBzO1oc/s400/DSC04422.JPG" style="float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" width="400" /></a><br /><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Here is a recipe for a hearty and healthy soup, that is v</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">egetarian, g</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">luten-free, d</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">airy free and vegan (if you don't use parmesan cheese).&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">I also like the fact that it is a good recipe for the seasons in New Zealand and Canada currently; NZ being Autumn and Canada Spring. Although, I understand that in some places spring may still feel a bit too winter-ish. If you're feeling down about the weather wherever you are, one positive is that a meal like this is a lot more appealing when the weather is cooler - a warm bowl of soup on a warm summer's day just doesn't work as well.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pasta and Bean Soup</span></b></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">90ml extra virgin olive oil</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 onion, peeled and chopped</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">600g mixed vegetables (e.g. courgette, fennel, potato, sweet potato, leek, celery, carrot or peas)</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 pinches of dried mixed herbs (e.g. rosemary,oregano and thyme)</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and freshly ground pepper</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sea salt</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 litre vegetable stock</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">80 g dried pasta (I used gluten-free corn pasta)</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 400g can of beans (e.g. cannellinni, borlotti, haricot or chickpeas) drained and rinsed</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 bay leaves</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50g parmesan cheese (optional)</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions:</span></b></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 100%;">1.</b><span style="font-size: 100%;"> Heat approx. 60ml of the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chilli flakes and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until they are soft.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722255475434831362" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XyfITzR7cYk/T2mJCX9TvgI/AAAAAAAAAdc/LBbemUwZWDA/s320/DSC04425.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 238px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></div></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 100%;">2.</b><span style="font-size: 100%;"> Add all of the mixed vegetables, except the peas, and the mixed herbs</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">. S</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">eason to taste with sea salt and pepper. Fry until the vegetables are soft (or about 2-3 minute</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">s).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.</b> On medium, cover the pan with a lid and continue to fry for about 10 m<span style="font-size: 100%;">inutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 100%;">4. </b><span style="font-size: 100%;">In a pot (or in the same pan, if you have one big enough) add the stock, pasta, beans, bay leaves and peas and bring to a boil. (If you have put this in a larger pot, add the vegetables). Bring </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">to a simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the pasta has absorbed some of the liquid and is tender. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly before serving. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> To serve, spoon the pasta into serving bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top (if using). Season to taste with black pepper and drizzle a bit of olive oil over each serving.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serves 4</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recipe adapted from Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli) - Economy Gastronomy www.bbc.co.uk/food</span></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-49187038286151484462012-02-27T11:34:00.011-08:002013-07-08T10:43:36.977-07:00Healthy Baked Quinoa Oatmeal (GF, SF, Vt)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4ljOzfKI00/USUU6FESJDI/AAAAAAAAAm4/ZsVooeEZz8s/s1600/P2200824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4ljOzfKI00/USUU6FESJDI/AAAAAAAAAm4/ZsVooeEZz8s/s400/P2200824.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the weather being cooler in the mornings lately, I have been thinking about what I could make as a warm, easy and healthy breakfast. I love oatmeal, and I found a recipe for baked quinoa oatmeal and adjusted it to suit what I like/and am able to eat. One of the best things about this recipe is how good it smells when it's baking! It takes a little longer than eating a quick bowl of cereal, so it could be best for weekends or days you have a bit more time in the morning. But the good thing is that it doesn't take too long to mix all of the ingredients together, and while it's baking you can do other things to get ready. This recipe is wheat-free, egg free, refined sugar-free and vegetarian. You can make it dairy free by using soy yogurt or applesauce, and &nbsp;gluten-free if you are able to get gluten-free oats (oats are naturally gluten-free but are often contaminated with gluten from being processed in the same plants as other gluten-containing grains). It is really versatile, and you can also use whichever fruit you have on hand or like best. I have one baking right now and it smells amazing!</span><br /><br /><div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gih-qdcU0s/USUUjK1-XFI/AAAAAAAAAmg/exQpAKneK9M/s1600/P2200804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gih-qdcU0s/USUUjK1-XFI/AAAAAAAAAmg/exQpAKneK9M/s320/P2200804.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Healthy Baked Quinoa Oatmeal</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees celcius</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In a large bowl combine:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1 cup gluten-free flour mix&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup quinoa flakes</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup rolled oats</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons cinnamon</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground ginger</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a sepearate bowl combine:</span></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RA_Lw5ExzKM/USUUnU0qO9I/AAAAAAAAAmo/0bV5Xoi6_K0/s1600/P2200810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RA_Lw5ExzKM/USUUnU0qO9I/AAAAAAAAAmo/0bV5Xoi6_K0/s320/P2200810.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">3/4 cup rice milk (or almond milk)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1/4 cup real maple syrup or honey</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup yogurt (or applesauce)</span></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a baking dish (I used a bread baking dish, it's all I had that wa<span style="font-size: 100%;">s the right size but worked perfectly) add:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">1 cup blueberries</span><br /><br /><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1 pear, cut into cubes</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1 apple cut into cubes</span></div></div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZC4wB5VgRc/USUUwXThC7I/AAAAAAAAAmw/BPMxuT5fqxI/s1600/P2200814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZC4wB5VgRc/USUUwXThC7I/AAAAAAAAAmw/BPMxuT5fqxI/s320/P2200814.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(or any other type of fresh or frozen fruit you love)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spread the quinoa and oat mixture over the fruit, and sprinkle the top with a bit of quinoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;flakes, oatmeal and cinnamon.</span></div><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit starts to bubble.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serve warm, topped with yogurt or eat plain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Recipe adapted from </span><a href="http://www.thesensitivepantry.com/" target="_blank">The Sensitive Pantry</a>.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-79796156223840911562012-01-22T16:30:00.001-08:002013-07-08T10:46:09.876-07:00Sushi Rolls with Brown Rice (GF, DF)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DPoFWR-LIQU/Txy3u-LAsJI/AAAAAAAAATE/VE8WieQjEWQ/s1600/DSC04236.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700633245935251602" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DPoFWR-LIQU/Txy3u-LAsJI/AAAAAAAAATE/VE8WieQjEWQ/s320/DSC04236.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 240px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sushi rolls! They are a delicious and healthy option for both dinners and lunches, and are simple and inexpensive to make. They are also a great snack food and easy to take on trips, picnics, to work etc. The seaweed contains many trace minerals, the brown rice is a whole food that is packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and then you can add whatever vegetables you like and meat or tofu - or stick with just the veggies. (I have included them in the category 'vegetarian recipes since they are easy to make vegetarian, even though the ones in these photos that I made contain tuna fish.) Most people will be familiar with different kinds of rolls that are out there and you can suit what you put in them to what you like.</span><br /><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why brown rice instead of white rice?</span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brown rice is unrefined and is the whole grain; the germ, the bran and the starch along with all of their vital nutrients. When rice is milled into white rice, the bran and germ are removed and only the starch is left behind, meaning that white rice and its products have much less nutritional value. Brown rice is a whole food, which as mentioned before is high in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. It also contains essential oils and protective antioxidants. Rice bran has even been found to be one of the must nutrient dense substances to ever be studied!</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups of brown rice (regular, long grain or sushi rice)</span></div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700625575454010226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWGZQqwsWfQ/TxywwfZxa3I/AAAAAAAAASg/QNSktTINFFM/s320/DSC04229.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 240px;" /></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups of water</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pinch of sea salt</span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carrots sliced thin</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cucumber sliced thin</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avocado sliced thin</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Green onions sliced thin</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meat and tofu options:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canned tuna</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooked salmon</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raw sashimi-grade salmon or tuna</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken/teriyaki chicken</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sauteed tofu</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rice vinegar and mirin for cooked rice (optional)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nori sheets</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sushi roller</span></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre;"></span></i></b></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instructions:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></b></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1.</b> Place the rice and water into a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring regularly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b> Lower heat to a simmer and cover for 25-30 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.</b>Remove from heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700619954465505986" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qv-5FP1LXLo/TxyrpTlrgsI/AAAAAAAAARw/uwQFsXcUKmI/s320/DSC04234.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b> Season rice with 2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar and 2-4 tablespoons mirin (optional) and a pinch of sea salt.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> While the rice is cooking, you can prepare your vegetables and other ingredients.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6.</b> Place a sheet of nori shiny side down on the sushi roller and spread a thin layer of rice to 2 inches below the top of </span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the sheet. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7.</b> Put the veggies at the top of the sheet (as shown in the photo) and tightly roll from the veggie side.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8.</b> Seal the nori by putting a bit of water on the end to help the ends stick together.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>9.</b> Roll the nori in the sushi roller firmly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10.</b> Slice with a serrated knife that has been dipped in water, and enjoy plain, with wasabi, ginger, soy sauce, tamari or another dipping sauce of your choice.</span></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-87295462083456318782011-11-05T14:23:00.003-07:002013-07-08T10:47:33.529-07:00Sweet & Sour Steam-Fry (GF, DF, Vt)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EnSYxFVDZcQ/T1IVx0ytzoI/AAAAAAAAAY8/cFBxFAn5TBA/s1600/DSC03856.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715654822815714946" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EnSYxFVDZcQ/T1IVx0ytzoI/AAAAAAAAAY8/cFBxFAn5TBA/s320/DSC03856.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 273px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a delicious and healthy Chinese-style meal that I got from Patrick Holford's website:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.patrickholford.com/">http://www.patrickholford.com/</a>. It lists both chicken and tofu in the ingredients, and you can use both, or one or the other. I used just the tofu this time since I had already had chicken with another meal that week. It's called a steam-fry instead of a stir-fry because of the method used to cook the ingredients, and steam-frying is said to be a healthy way to cook vegetables. What you do is put some oil in a pan to sautee the veggies, then add water to the pan and cover, which allows the steam to cook the food. When everything is cooked you can take off the lid and boil off the rest of the liquid (or you can drain it as well).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet &amp; Sour Steam-Fry</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b></b></i><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon olive oil</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 garlic clove, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 of an onion, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 green pepper, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 red pepper, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 carrot, sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 can pineapple chunks, unsweetened in fruit juice</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">300 grams of tofu</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100 grams of skinles chicken breast, cubed (if using chicken)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rice noodles or rice</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>For the sauce:</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons corn flour</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 tablespoons pineapple juice</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons cider vinegar</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon brown sugar (good but not essential)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons tamari</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon tomato puree</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Directions:</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1.</b>&nbsp;Lightly fry the tofu in olive oil until it becomes slightly browned</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(if you're using chicken, you can steam-fry the chicken in the oil for about 5 minutes, until cooked through)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b>&nbsp;Steam fry the veggies in olive oil unt</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">il cooked through</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.</b>Combine the sauce ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b>Add the sauce to the vegetables</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> Add pineapple and tofu (and chicken, if using)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6.</b> Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7.</b> Serve with rice noodles or rice</span></div></div></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-78920724872214652282011-10-27T23:14:00.000-07:002014-12-08T16:21:03.187-08:00Top 10 Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHnzXU5oD_s/TqpVv2kvkYI/AAAAAAAAALw/_dIAbhbppZE/s1600/certified-organic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="438" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668437361591030146" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHnzXU5oD_s/TqpVv2kvkYI/AAAAAAAAALw/_dIAbhbppZE/s640/certified-organic.jpg" style="float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 350px;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Depending on where you live, it might be easy or very difficult to find a good selection of organic produce. It can also really stretch the budget to buy organic foods. If I could buy everything organic, I probably would - it is better for the environment, since not using pesticides is better for the soil, water and animals/wildlife. (*Update - I have gradually switched to buying more items organic than when I wrote this post, and when I can't buy all organic produce I use a fruit and vegetable wash to help remove wax and agricultural chemicals). Buying organic also generally means supporting smaller farmers, and where I live, it also means supporting smaller companies which does usually equal higher cost. But for a great reason! If we want to see change in this area, we have to be willing to actually pay what it costs to produce organic foods. Eating organic foods can also be for your health&nbsp;- some studies show that non-organic produce still contains residual pesticides even after you wash them. Since buying organic is sometimes quite expensive I wanted to come up with a list of the&nbsp;fruits and vegetables&nbsp;that are most important to buy organic and list some of the ones that are a bit safer to buy non-organic (although buying organic is still better overall for the farmer's and the environment). Here is a list of produce with the highest levels of pesticide contamination, based on information from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), listed from highest levels/rates of contamination, and are therefore more important to buy organic:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nectarines&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sweet Bell peppers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Celery&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pears&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Peaches</b></span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Apples</b></span><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cheries</b></span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Strawberries</b></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Imported Grapes (i.e. Chile)</b></span><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Spinach&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, here is a list of the foods that were found to contain the least amount of pesticides - partially attributed to their thick skin that protect them, and are less important to buy organic if you have to choose:</span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Asparagus&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avocados&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bananas&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brocolli&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onions&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cauliflower</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corn</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kiwi&nbsp;Fruit</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mangoes</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Papaya&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also helps you to think about buying seasonal produce - at first it is frustrating when you go and realize that half of the fruits and veggies on your list aren't there. B</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ut then it makes you realize that by shopping at big supermarkets we are never conditioned to think of buying seasonally and locally since there is a fairly consistent selection of produce by shipping it in from other countries when it is out of season. This also means that the food has probably been sitting a lot longer and loosing some nutritional value if it has to come from so far away, which is another great reason to think about buying local seasonal produce. It takes a bit more planning around what you will buy, but getting into the swing of things and thinking seasonally/locally and organic when possible is a great way to work towards healthier and environmentally-conscious food choices.</span></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-87605324669940458552011-10-10T00:12:00.000-07:002013-07-08T10:49:40.831-07:00Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, Tomatoes and Basil (GF, Vt)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgEhfGiG2cw/URvsTT0_wqI/AAAAAAAAAlo/SuEuqLILtnY/s1600/P2130713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgEhfGiG2cw/URvsTT0_wqI/AAAAAAAAAlo/SuEuqLILtnY/s400/P2130713.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of my favorite recipes right now, and I love the colours of the roasted vegetables just as much as I love the taste. I used brown rice spirals which are gluten-free, but if gluten-free pasta isn't your thing then you can use whatever pasta you like. You can also make it dairy-free and a bit less expensive if you don't use the parmesan cheese. You can also substitute whatever vegetables you like roasting, I like to use sweet potato (or kumara as it is called in New Zealand) because of it's high levels of beta carotene, which is converted in the body to Vitamin A. I also use pumpkin, zuchinni and red peppers. I would highly recommend using fresh basil if possible for this recipe, it really makes it extra good!</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, Tomatoes and Basil</b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7JNL_Jxz00s/TpKi42v9HyI/AAAAAAAAAF0/LNiMOh1F6Hk/s1600/DSC03655.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661766779211161378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7JNL_Jxz00s/TpKi42v9HyI/AAAAAAAAAF0/LNiMOh1F6Hk/s320/DSC03655.JPG" style="float: right; height: 300px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 red bell peppers</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 medium sweet potatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 1/4 cups of pumpkin</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 or 2 zuchinnis (courgettes)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 tablespoons olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 cups (approx) pasta of your choice</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 medium tomatoes (I didn't use tomatoes in mine, but it bet they would be good!)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 1/4 tablespoons dried</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 garlic cloves, minced</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1.</b> Preheat oven to 250 degree&nbsp;Celsius.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b> Combine sweet potato and pumpkin in a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until they start to become slightly soft.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.</b>Add the rest of the vegetables and garlic, and roast until they are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, approximately 25 minutes.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b> Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender but firm to bite. Drain the pasta and save 3/4 cup of the liquid.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> Combine the pasta, roasted vegetables, tomatoes and basil in a large bowl. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and the balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine (in my photo I have not combined the pasta with everything else, but I would recommend combining it all so the pasta gets the flavor of the balsamic vinegar). You can season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper, and add some reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten if needed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. </b>Serve up the pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. I always like to make extra and take it for lunch the next day since it's really good to eat leftover as well.</span></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-91929458891339427352011-10-09T18:03:00.000-07:002013-07-08T10:50:45.518-07:006 Delicious and Healthy Breakfast Ideas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cOMjpfSPwgo/Tpff-XMYowI/AAAAAAAAAGs/CCmYXMWt7oc/s1600/DSC03716.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663241318912533250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cOMjpfSPwgo/Tpff-XMYowI/AAAAAAAAAGs/CCmYXMWt7oc/s400/DSC03716.JPG" style="float: right; height: 300px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;(Steel-Cut Oats, Honey Yogurt, Peaches, Blueberries, Cinnamon &amp; Nuts)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You've all heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there are a lot of reasons why this is true. One is that people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight than those who skip it, since if you skip breakfast, you are more likely to over-eat later on, and more likely to eat less healthy foods when your blood sugar gets too low. A second reason is that skipping breakfast is also linked with poor memory and concentration - so on top of feeling hungry, you could be finding it harder to focus, study, get things done at work, etc. It's also sometimes really confusing trying to sort out what breakfast foods are actually healthy, and which ones are just marketed as being healthy. One of the foods that frustrates me the most is breakfast cereals. Many of them have a ton of added sugar, and are heavily processed, which strips the food of many of the nutrients they originally had. So when they advertise that the food is "enriched" with all of these vitamins and minerals, it might just be replacing what you would be getting if you just ate healthy, un-processed foods instead. It makes me so angry that companies can market foods as healthy, espeically to parents and children. Then on top of that they target children with the branding, free gifts, competitions, puzzles and so on.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But on a happier, healthier note, here are my current favorite breakfast ideas, and I have started making extra most of the time so that I eat half before leaving the house, and then eat the rest at morning tea/break.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 Healthy Breakfasts I Love:</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) <b>Steel Cut Oats</b> <b>with Plain Yogurt</b> mixed with honey, blueberries, peaches, cinnamon and cashews is the ultimate power-packed breakfast. You can also use regular oats, however I have recently discovered steel cut oats - they are unrefined, whole grain groats (the inner potion of the oat kernel) and have a more dense, creamy texture and a slightly nutty flavour. In Christchurch, I found them at Piko Wholefoods. They take a bit longer to cook than regular oats (about 30 minutes) so if you are in a rush, regular rolled oats or even instant oats are still good options.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) <b>Cherry &amp; Vanilla Granola with Plain or Honey Yogurt. </b>This is my new, all-time favorite breakfast - it's so good it helps me get up in the morning just because I look forward to it! Liberty Market in Christchurch packages their own granola mixtures so there are other flavors as well, but this one is my personal favorite. It's really reasonably priced as well.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) <b>Buckwheat Puffs with Rice, Hemp or Almond Milk. </b>This is a breakfast I have started to eat when I need something quick, or when I just want a snack.<b> </b>Some of you may be thinking that buckwheat cereal doesn't sound very appealing, and I thought this too at first. It does take a bit to get used to, just because we're so used to those sugar-filled cereals, and of course, milk. But it is just another thing that I have found gets&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">better each time I eat it. Buckwheat is also a suitable substitute for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) <b>Scambled Tofu or Scrambled Eggs and Toast</b>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always find I feel full for a lot longer when I eat eggs with breakfast (although I am not currently eating eggs after finding out I am allergic to them). You can add some olive oil, your favorite veggies (I like onions, peppers and mushrooms) and eat them with some whole-grain toast or gluten-free toast, which works well since most of the gluten-free bread I've had so far tastes a lot better toasted. I like to have toast with peanut butter or sunflower seed butter and jam, but people here seem to think that is weird!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) <b>Bean &amp; Rice Breakfast Bowls</b>. This one might sound a bit un-conventional, and this is a recipe I found from one of my favorite websites: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.nourishingmeals.com/" target="_blank">Nourishing Meals</a>&nbsp;. It includes a recipe for spicy avocado sauce to go with it.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/03/bean-and-rice-breakfast-bowls.html" target="_blank">Bean and Rice Breakfast Bowls</a>&nbsp;. This recipe is free from eggs, soy, gluten and dairy and they said they were getting requests for breakfast ideas free of these ingredients, which sounds pretty tricky! As I mentioned, it may sound unconventional, but to many cultures these are food staples that they eat every day, and it is a really healthy and filling option for breakfast.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) <b>Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes</b>. This is a good recipe for week-ends since I would never be organized enough to make something like early in the morning. This is another recipe I found on&nbsp; <a href="http://www.nourishingmeals.com/" target="_blank">Nourishing Meals</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;They have a slight hint of nutmeg and cinnamon, and are delicious with maple syrup. A nice tasty and healthy weekend breakfast, and you can add other things on the side such as yogurt with honey or a fruit bowl. Also very nice with a good cup of coffee or fresh orange juice.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%C2%A0http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2008/11/pumpkin-pancakes.html" target="_blank">Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration to make some healthy and tasty breakfasts. I know they are not for everyone, but for those of you who are looking to make some healthy changes to your morning routine, taking the time to take care of yourself and make a nourishing meal is a great place to start :)</span>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-22820146927400627332011-10-08T18:40:00.000-07:002014-12-08T16:21:56.541-08:0010 Ways to Get Enough Calcium in Your Diet Without Dairy<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CDX7IqdYLv8/TpECNxmRu8I/AAAAAAAAAFk/W1pOhXrR0TQ/s1600/untitled.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661308642256862146" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CDX7IqdYLv8/TpECNxmRu8I/AAAAAAAAAFk/W1pOhXrR0TQ/s320/untitled.bmp" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I wanted to write this article because I think that in Western society we have come to rely much too heavily on milk and dairy products. I&nbsp;really feel there needs to be a&nbsp;be a shift in thinking about the amount of dairy we have always been told we "require" in our diet. I have started to think of dairy as more of a treat than a food staple, and this is still a work in progress for me as well since it's always hard to change eating habits that you have been following your whole life. (Update - since writing this article, I have completely stopped drinking cow's milk and I eat a bit of yogurt and cottage cheese, and a little bit of cheese now and then. Read this article if you would like to learn more about eating less dairy, especially milk:&nbsp;<a href="http://jessicasfoodlove.blogspot.co.nz/2011/09/why-milk-doesnt-do-your-body-good.html" target="_blank">Why Milk Doesn't Do Your Body Good</a> This shift in thinking requires a bit of re-education, since most people automatically think of dairy as the main source of calcium in their diets. Dairy products are also high in saturated fat, and the over-consumption of dairy is just another contributing factor to the obesity epidemic in many Western countries. Generally, the recommended daily amount (RDA) of calcium for women (who need a bit more than men) is between 1000 and 1200 mg but most people consume far more than this.&nbsp;Here is a list of ways that you can get enough calcium in your diet without relying solely on dairy products:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1) Cut Out Soft Drinks.</b> They can cause high phosphate levels in the blood and actually leach calcium from your bones which makes it harder for your body to absorb new calcium.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2) Get Enough Vitamin D</b>. You need to have enough Vitamin D in your body for calcium to be absorbed and used in your system. A good source of Vitamin D is eggs (make sure they are cage-free!), and a bit of sunlight also helps the body absorb Vitamin D. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3) Eat Baked Beans<i>.</i></b> One cup of baked beans has 154 mg of calcium. And they're cheap! Just make sure you choose a brand that isn't loaded with sugar.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4)</b> <b>Eat Canned Salmon</b>. Not my personal favorite, but 3 oz. of canned salmon contains approx. 180 mg of calcium and is also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5)</b> <b>Eat Calcium-Fortified Foods</b>. A lot of foods these days are fortified with calcium, such as soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and even some breakfast cereals. An 8oz glass of calcium-fortified orange juice contains about 300 mg of calcium, which is about the same as a glass of milk.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6) Eat Oatmeal</b>. One cup of oatmeal provides 100 - 150 mg of calcium.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7) Eat Your Green Veggies.</b> Especially spinach, brocolli and dark green leafy vegetables. Kale, parsley, broccoli, spinach and other dark green leafy veggies provide about 100mg of calcium per serving - try using spinach instead of lettuce in sandwiches and salads.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8) Eat Nuts<i>.</i></b> Almonds and brazil nuts contain about 100mg of calcium per serving.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>9) Drink Calcium-Fortified Orange Juice</b>. Just make sure you get the kind that doesn't have any added sugar.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10) Take Calcium Supplements</b>. If you are still not getting enough calcium through all of these great food sources, then you could consider taking a supplement to make up the difference. I would recommend talking to a Doctor, Naturopath, Registered Dietician or other appropriate health professional&nbsp;about this and they can help you decide if this is right for you and give you advice on a good supplement to take. It is also recommended that supplements be taken as both Calcium and Vitamin D combined rather than Calcium supplements alone.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is another article with more great suggestions:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drlisawatson.com/40-vegan-calcium-sources" target="_blank">40 Vegan Calcium Sources</a></span></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-81136321960225170322011-09-14T14:19:00.000-07:002014-12-08T16:21:41.143-08:00Why Milk Doesn't Do Your Body Good<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vO2NgxkS1To/TqPOWETJI0I/AAAAAAAAAIM/cb8hGjj8PLQ/s1600/MILK%2B%2521%2521.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666599634668692290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vO2NgxkS1To/TqPOWETJI0I/AAAAAAAAAIM/cb8hGjj8PLQ/s400/MILK%2B%2521%2521.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 298px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For as long as I can remember, I have been told that dairy products are an essential part of a healthy diet. However, there is a lot of evidence that proves this is not the case.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;In fact, it seems that it you really want to be healthy, cutting down on dairy (or even better, cutting it out completely) is one of the best things you can do. If this sounds crazy to you, I don't blame you - our whole lives we are bombarded with messages that we need dairy to build strong bones and teeth. Mothers gasp when you tell them you're no longer drinking milk - how will you get calcium? Aren't you worried about getting osteoporosis? But not to worry - here are 3 good reasons to cut down on dairy, including answers to the big calcium and osteoporosis question.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Animal Welfare<i>.</i></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dairy cows are often portrayed as living healthy lives grazing in green, wide open pastures, in the fresh air and sunlight. &nbsp;While this may be true in some cases, it is more the exception these days. The reality is that these animals live only a fraction of their lifespan due to the immense stress on their bodies from constantly being pregnant and lactating, and when they are no longer producing milk they are usually slaughtered and used for fast food burger meat. Not to mention their calves are either taken to join the dairy herd (females) or used for veal or low-grade meat, or killed (males). Like all mammals, cows only produce milk in response to giving birth. So to keep up with demand the cows are kept in a near constant cycle of being pregnant and lactating while pregnant, which causes them huge metabolic stress. To ensure that the maximum amount of milk can be used for human consumption, the calves are taken away as soon as an hour from when they are born, denying the mother her maternal instincts and causing extreme stress to both mother and calf.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCrvC0VNiAY/UMet3fIArdI/AAAAAAAAAjY/b-Wb9WQYgf4/s1600/man_cow_drinking_other_species_milk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCrvC0VNiAY/UMet3fIArdI/AAAAAAAAAjY/b-Wb9WQYgf4/s320/man_cow_drinking_other_species_milk.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is also the practice of inducing labour prematurely to suit the dairy farmer's milking schedule, and it has been revealed that Fonterra (the largest dairy company in New Zealand) uses this practice, despite the company having said it is opposed to it. Other ways that a dairy cow's health suffers are from mastitis (a painful infection in their udder) and lameness, which is a painful foot infection – both common conditions for dairy cows. It is sickening to think that companies in New Zealand were trying to get land consent for massive dairy farming sheds where cows would be housed in cubicles at high-density (up to 16 dairy farms with 17850 cows housed in cubicles). Thankfully at this point this is not going forward, and it would only cause more extreme problems in terms of animal welfare. Unfortunately due to the increasing&nbsp;demand for milk products &nbsp;I’m sure there will be a time in the near future where this comes up again. Unfortunately, factory dairy farming is already common in some countries, including the United States.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Environmental Impact.</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one I am not going to focus on as much in this post, although it is definitely a very important issue. To put it simply, dairy farming is environmentally damaging and unsustainable. It causes pollution of soil, water and air by nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilister used for feed-crops and from manure, contributes to global warming through its emission of greenhouse gasses, uses excessive amounts of water, over-uses antibiotics and contributes to deforestation for growing animal feed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Human Health Impact.</span></b><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE6x-aq57as/UMet8slEnGI/AAAAAAAAAjg/J-bZQLM88G0/s1600/no_milk-281x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE6x-aq57as/UMet8slEnGI/AAAAAAAAAjg/J-bZQLM88G0/s1600/no_milk-281x300.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After infancy, humans don't need milk. Anyone who is getting paid by a dairy company will surely argue this, but it is really an obvious fact. Milk is something that is produced by mammals for their babies, and when babies begin to eat solid food, they don't go back to drinking milk - except for humans. Cow’s milk is heavily marketed as being extremely healthy for humans (just think of all the commercials for milk, yogurt, cheese and ads that feature celebrities and athletes with their creepy milk moustaches) but it is becoming more well-known that this is not necessarily the case. Here is an&nbsp;excerpt&nbsp;from an article on the website The Wellness Warrior that explains this well: &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Humans can’t digest dairy properly. Because cow’s milk is not designed to be consumed by humans, a lot of us actually have trouble digesting it. Humans lose the enzyme needed to digest lactose (the sugar found in milk) between the ages of two and five. Being able to digest milk is so abnormal that scientists say we shouldn’t really call lactose intolerance a disease, because that presumes it’s abnormal. Instead, they call it lactase persistence, indicating what’s really weird is the ability to continue to drink milk. When undigested, the sugars from dairy end up in the colon, where they begin to ferment, producing gas that can cause cramping, bloating, nausea, flatulence and diarrhoea." Jessica Ainscough, <a href="http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/">www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cow’s milk also contains substances that can harm the health of a human being- such as hormones, growth factors and high amounts of saturated fat.&nbsp;Further to this, milk is also known to contain antibiotics, pesticide residues and even pus cells due to high rates of mastitis commonly seen in cows subjected to high-density farming practices. (In the United States, as long as a&nbsp;liter&nbsp;of milk contains less than 100 million pus cells it can be legally sold).</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;The dairy industry is obviously&nbsp;bias&nbsp;in their claims that cow’s milk is essential for our calcium needs. According to Amy Lanou Ph. D. who is the nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C.,&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent."&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of all of this, dairy is also highly processed, and if you would like more information on why this is a problem, read up on pasteurization and homogenization:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://preventdisease.com/news/10/111810_dangers_pasteurization_homogenization.shtml" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">pasteurization and homogenization.</a>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you don't drink milk or eat dairy products, where do you get your calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that we are told we NEED to get from milk? Don't worry, because these nutrients are widely available from other foods that are generally much healthier. You probably already have many of them in your diet. In terms of calcium, you can read my article on getting enough calcium in your diet without dairy products:</span><a href="http://www.jessicasfoodlove.blogspot.com/2011/10/10-ways-to-get-enough-calcium-in-your.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Ways to Get Enough Calcium in Your Diet Without Dairy</a>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as well as this fantastic article&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drlisawatson.com/40-vegan-calcium-sources" target="_blank">40 Vegan Calcium Sources</a></span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* As a side note, consuming a small amount of unsweetened, natural, fermented dairy products such as yogurt, kefir and even sour cream can have many health benefits, especially yogurt.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Questions or comments? Either leave a comment below or join my Facebook page:&nbsp;<a href="http://food%20love/" target="_blank">Food Love</a>&nbsp;to leave a comment.&nbsp;</span>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-33909785111252218542011-09-12T16:55:00.001-07:002013-07-08T10:52:43.590-07:00Winter Chicken & Vegetable Stew (GF, DF)<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cH9d9P5snGk/USLXW4jXpKI/AAAAAAAAAmE/04KTMRhkqis/s1600/P2180777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cH9d9P5snGk/USLXW4jXpKI/AAAAAAAAAmE/04KTMRhkqis/s400/P2180777.JPG" width="400" /></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I discovered a really delicious and easy dinner option, from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.nourishingmeals.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Whole Life Nutrition</a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, based in Washington, USA. Since they are based the the states I have noticed that a few of the ingredients they mention are things that I have trouble finding here in New Zealand, but there are usually good alternatives if you ask around. I changed the recipe a little based on what I like and what ingredients I had - for example, adding sweet potatoes instead of only white potatoes, and I&nbsp;didn't have&nbsp;celery, which would have been great in it too. You can also use beans instead of chicken for a vegetarian option (I like cannellini and butter beans) and I also used cornstarch to thicken it up and make it more like a stew than a soup. I have also just learned that most cornstarch is gluten-free - except sometimes you don't know what is added to things to it pays to check the ingredients to make sure.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winter Chicken and Vegetable Stew</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CpYzHNyInJw/USLXVYT4_NI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ng5KHq03PVo/s1600/P2180767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CpYzHNyInJw/USLXVYT4_NI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ng5KHq03PVo/s320/P2180767.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 medium onion, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 small carrots, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 sweet potato, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 to 3 teaspoons dried thyme</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 garlic cloves, crushed</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cups vegetable stock </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2-4 tablespoons of cornstarch</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup frozen peas and corn</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cups of cooked chicken or 3 cups cooked beans</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sea salt &amp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">black pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. </b>Place&nbsp;the chicken in a pot of water (use approximately 6 cups) to boil which takes around 1 hour. Add two of the carrots (chopped) to make the broth.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b> Once the chicken has cooled down enough after cooking, take the meat off by hand. Depending on the size of the chicken, you will probably end up with a good amount of leftovers to use in another recipe. Also pour the broth into a heat-proof bowl and set aside for now.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. </b>Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add diced onions and cook until they are soft, approx. 5 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4.</b>&nbsp;Add carrots, potatoes, and after about a minute add garlic and any spices.&nbsp;Separately&nbsp;&nbsp;combine&nbsp;the stock and cornstarch and mix well.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5.</b>&nbsp;Add this mixture to the pan, cover and summer for 10-15 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6.</b>&nbsp;Add peas and cooked chicken, cover and simmer approx. 5 minutes or until veggies are</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cooked the way you would like.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7.</b>&nbsp;Add salt and pepper to taste.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recipe adapted from: Whole Life Nutrition:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nourishingmeals.com/" target="_blank">www.nourishingmeals.com&nbsp;</a></span></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892957402443656773.post-74343642381882170642011-08-31T20:20:00.001-07:002013-07-08T10:09:41.465-07:00About Me<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OVX_YBV42Eg/T-kForXUJUI/AAAAAAAAAiI/27SimZtLj9g/s1600/IMG_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OVX_YBV42Eg/T-kForXUJUI/AAAAAAAAAiI/27SimZtLj9g/s400/IMG_1227.JPG" width="267" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello! Thanks for stopping by and let me tell you a little bit about myself. I currently live in Edmonton, Alberta and I have a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology in Christchurch, New Zealand. A big interest in nursing for me has been educating people about behaviour and lifestyle changes&nbsp; which has led me to follow my passion and study with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. My views when it comes to nutrition are based on eating natural, whole foods that is produced ethically and sustainably.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> passion when it comes to health is integrative health care (combining conventional and complementary/alternative therapies) which is why I chose to combine my nursing education with natural nutrition. Working in a "conventional" health care field made me&nbsp;realize&nbsp;how often nutrition is overlooked in prevention and treatment of many chronic illnesses. Although there is some focus on this, it is just not enough in many cases. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conventional medicine is nothing short of amazing in terms of the many advances in treating injuries and illnesses, but I feel we are really failing ourselves when it comes to chronic disease prevention. </span><br /><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first started this website in August 2011, I was having trouble with a range of minor health issues; mainly allergies, chronic bladder infections, skin problems and low energy.&nbsp; After many unsuccessful visits to doctors and specialists, I spoke to a Naturopath for some advice, did a food diary and had a blood test for food allergies. My blood test showed an allergy to eggs, wheat, almonds, peanuts, lima beans and pinto beans!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have&nbsp;eliminated&nbsp;those foods from my diet for the time being and also try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. I also started taking supplements as recommended by the Naturopath, to help with my energy levels and immune function. All of this was very overwhelming at first, including in terms of my budget, but it made so much more sense to be looking at the root cause of these problems rather than merely treating the symptoms.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I look forward to sharing more information about health and nutrition and I am always open to comments and suggestions. You can email me at jessicawinter@hotmail.com if you would like to get in touch and I am always open to questions and comments.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">Jessica &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></div></div>Welcome to Food Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11770164820138135558noreply@blogger.com0